More than 175 billion ideas have been saved

Pinterest now has more than 250 million monthly users, and more than 175 billion ideas have been saved on its network.

The company said more than 50 percent of its users and 80 percent of its new sign-ups come from outside of the U.S., adding that it is seeing particularly strong growth and engagement across Western Europe and Latin America.

Pinterest now has more than 1,500 employees—up 32 percent from last year—over 600 of which are engineers.

The company said its fastest-growing category is products, including items available for purchase via retailers on its network, with ideas up 115 percent year-over-year.

In addition, Pins about mindfulness and meditation are up 171 percent compared with 2017, and searches for self-care routine soared by 140 percent.

Co-founder and chief operating officer Evan Sharp said in a blog post, “At a time when the internet can feel increasingly negative and politicized, we think it’s remarkable that a quarter of a billion people are choosing to spend their time on Pinterest, a place that helps them feel positive and optimistic about the future.”

He added, “We hear it again and again. Pinners across the globe describe Pinterest as their own positive corner of the internet. It’s where they go to learn about their personal tastes and get the confidence to try new things. According to a Nielsen study, 98 percent of Pinners go out and try ideas they find on Pinterest—way more than the 71 percent social media platform average. Other applications are about connecting with friends and inviting more people to join. Pinterest is your place to reconnect with yourself.”

And head of global sales Jon Kaplan said in a separate blog post, “Because people on Pinterest are open to your ideas, businesses like yours have a unique opportunity to shape their decisions about what they want to try or buy. We’re making it easier than ever for you to reach your audience, with new products like Promoted Video at Max Width and Shopping Ads, along with the new Pinterest business profile. We’ve also created a program to support businesses and agencies new to advertising on Pinterest. And soon, businesses will be able to buy ads on Pinterest in certain non-English-speaking markets.”